As is well known, the United States presently is confronted with an energy crisis of untold magnitude. Our dependence upon foreign sources of petroleum has caused widespread consternation and frustration, particularly at the present time due to the decreasing supplies available and the rapidly increasing prices attached to the supply. The principal focus of the petroleum shortage, of course, is the automobile which is powered by an internal combustion engine operated virtually exclusively by gasoline.
There is thus a heightened interest today in finding ways to decrease the consumption of gasoline. One current example is "gasohol", which is essentially a mixture of gasoline and relatively small quantities of methanol, as for example, up to approximately ten percent methanol, which accordingly decreases the consumption of gasoline slightly. Nevertheless, in view of the significant number of automobiles utilized in this country alone, there is a critical need for a formulation to permit a significantly greater decrease in the consumption of gasoline.
Producing a synthetic fuel as a substitute for gasoline suitable for use in internal combustion engines, however, on a widespread scale is not an easy task. The synthetic fuel must not only combust efficiently to power the vehicle, but must also do so without the formation of excessive quantities of non-volatle or "gummy" materials that would be detrimental to the continued operation of the internal combustion engine. Additionally, the synthetic fuel, of course, must be able to satisfy such requirements without producing significant quantities of air polluting components upon combustion and exhaustion to the atmosphere. Moreover, the fuel must enable the engine to operate under the normally severe driving conditions of the automobile over continuing periods of time without overheating or contributing to other undesirable disadvantages.